


Before, During, and After

by oscarwildewannabe



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: (not that Stevie would admit that), Fluff, Humor, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Stevie and Patrick bonding moments, They both just love David so much, Weddings, but it gets resolved, but they do, cabaret, slight angst, stevie centric, well just angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-06-25 15:05:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19748179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oscarwildewannabe/pseuds/oscarwildewannabe
Summary: 3 moments from Stevie and Patrick's friendship





	1. "Patrick asked for my blessing a few weeks ago"

**Author's Note:**

> Hello: this is going to be in 3 parts with the first being before the proposal and going from there. HUGE shoutout to my very patient beta Gwen (ohlafraise) and to the Discord for yelling at me until this chapter was done lol.

Cabaret rehearsals were becoming a nightmare. Stevie couldn’t remember the last time that she felt this sore for reasons that also didn’t make her feel so incredibly good. Now though, she just felt achey, and tired, and little bit humiliated because she was like 90% sure that Patrick had been able to see down her shirt on that last attempt at the lift. 

Fortunately, Patrick hadn’t said anything. He was a good guy like that. And, if David’s stories were to be believed, she could have had Sofia Vergara’s boobs down there and he wouldn’t have batted an eye. Really, if anyone should be embarrassed about their rehearsal attire it should be him, she thought. Who showed up to dance rehearsals in dress shoes anyway? 

Her shirt may have been a little too low cut but hey, he wasn’t looking there anyway so it probably didn’t matter that much. She couldn’t say the same thing about herself and his sweatpants. As Patrick bent over to pick up his water bottle she gave him a quick once over, raising an eyebrow to herself she made a mental note to tease David later.

He walked over to her, holding out an extra water bottle to her as way of an invitation. She smiled at him tiredly and took it while he slid down next to her on the floor. Rehearsals were still ongoing around them, so they sat with their backs pressed up against Roland’s desk, just out of the way but still within earshot of Mrs. Rose’s dictatorial directing. 

“So what exactly is the difference between an Indonesian scarf caught in the wind and, just say, a regular scarf caught in the wind?” he asked, keeping his voice low to avoid being chastised by Mrs. Rose. 

Stevie just rolled her eyes. “I’d say only knows, but I don’t think He and Mrs. Rose have been on the same page about anything since probably the mid-70s.” 

Patrick laughed a little, leaning his head back against the desk and closing his eyes. He looked just about as tired as Stevie felt, and she didn’t blame him. Her part was hard, but she had nowhere near as much choreography as he did. 

“It’s really a miracle that David and Alexis are still relatively in one piece,” Patrick muttered. “The things he says sometimes...God- just makes you wonder ya know? One time, he told me that his parents let him go to fashion week alone. Only he failed to mention until later that it was when he was seven, and then he didn’t understand why that freaked me out a little.” 

Stevie nodded. She could remember thinking similar things when the Roses had first arrived in town. Draped in designer furs and smelling like fancy cologne and perfume, they were the epitome of wealth and privilege: always put together and seemingly perfect. But then one of them would open their mouths and say something and Stevie would find herself just staring at them in shock. She remembered one time how Alexis described in great detail the exact process that she used to smuggle contraband across borders in the same manner than one would describe driving to Elmdale to go to the store. How could these people have lived so long on this earth and be so blind? So completely out of touch and self-absorbed? 

They reminded Stevie of some kind of abstract art piece, like the ones that David would have displayed in his galleries back in New York. Objectively beautiful, if a little bit pretentious, yet completely confusing to the outside eye.

At first she had no idea what any of the shapes or colors that were splashed up on the canvas meant. But the more time Stevie had spent staring at the painting, the more sense it began to make. That drop of dark green in the corner was David and Alexis’ childhoods, rich and vibrant with money and opulence, but ultimately sad and lonely, dark and devoid of any kind of real brightness or color. Those straight lines that surrounded the crazed mess of swirls and circles were Mr. and Mrs. Rose, constantly keeping each other in balance, in check. The four squares in the middle that were cut off from each other--that was them as a family. All painted the same color, all the same size, all feeling the same things, but ultimately isolated by the thick lines of dark, unforgiving colors created by the money and the people that cut them off from each other. 

Patrick hadn’t been there at the very start; if he had, he probably would have been completely turned off from the people that they were then. Stevie wouldn’t have blamed him. She was too at the time. Patrick would have taken one look at the mess of lines and shapes and random splotches of color and would have been confused, maybe even disgusted by it. But now? 

“Yeah,” she muttered. “Makes you wonder.” 

She looked over at Patrick, who had a slightly odd look on his face. He was looking at her, but he didn’t really seem focused on her or anything that she was saying. 

“You okay there?” she said, nudging him in the arm. Stevie hoped he hadn’t gone into some sort of shock or something. Never mind what David would do to her if Patrick suddenly just keeled over on her watch, Mrs. Rose would have her head if the show’s other lead wasn’t able to perform come opening night in a few weeks. 

He blinked at her, startled, as if just now remembering that she was there. 

“Hmmm? Oh yeah, yeah I’m good.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him, Stevie prided herself on being able to sniff out bullshit a mile away, and right now Patrick reeked of it. 

“You don’t look good,” she said bluntly, which earned her a slightly exasperated look in response. 

Patrick sighed, obviously resigned to the fact that she wasn’t about to let this go. He peered around her, and Stevie followed his eye line. Mrs. Rose was standing on a chair with her arms held above her, shouting something in what Stevie assumed was supposed to be a German accent. Behind her, Joceyln hovered close by, ready to catch her should one of Mrs. Rose’s ridiculous heels get caught as she bellowed on with lines from one of the scenes with Fraulein Kost and Herr Shultz. 

“Come on,” Patrick said from behind her. “I don’t think they’ll miss us for a second.” 

He stood up, extending a hand to her and hauling Stevie up with him. As discreetly as they could, they made their way out the door and onto the steps of the building. Patrick paused for a moment on the bottom one; Stevie, still tired and admittedly very lazy, sat down a few steps up from him. 

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Patrick looked down at his shoes, running a hand along the back of his head. He looked worried--nervous. Like he had at the cafe that night with his parents. Stevie felt a spark of fear in the pit of her stomach. 

“Patrick?” she asked, attempting to make her voice softer. “Is everything alright?” 

He nodded, and let out a shaky breath. 

“Before, when we were talking about the Roses. It made me realize something.” he paused, looking up at her for the first time. 

The fear in Stevie’s stomach flared; she would be the first one to admit that the Roses could be a handful, but she had thought Patrick loved David _because _of his craziness, not necessarily despite it. If Patrick was really about to tell her about his plans to break up with her best friend, she was going to kill him right where he stood.__

__“Uh huh?” she prompted, trying to keep her voice even._ _

__Patrick took another shaky breath. “I’ve been thinking about how I wanted to do this for awhile actually. Who I should talk to, _if _I should talk to anyone at all, and just the stuff we were talking about before… it made me think…”___ _

____He paused again to look at her. Patrick squared his shoulders a little, stood up a little taller. It looked as if he was trying to present himself to her._ _ _ _

____“I know that David cares what his family thinks, more than he’d ever admit.” he said, his voice filled with a little bit more confidence, “but the truth is, they don’t really know him. Not like they should, not yet. They lost a lot of time together when David, and Alexis, were younger. They don’t know him like we do.”_ _ _ _

____He paused again, and Stevie could see his nerves returning._ _ _ _

____“Like you do.”_ _ _ _

____She raised an eyebrow. If this was going where she thought it might be…_ _ _ _

____Patrick took another deep breath._ _ _ _

____“I want to ask David to marry me,” he said, all in a rush, “and I want your blessing before I do.”_ _ _ _

____Stevie smiled. She couldn’t help herself. Patrick’s confession was amazing, it was _great _. It was absolutely everything that David deserved.___ _ _ _

______Her best friend was getting married._ _ _ _ _ _

______Stevie could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She blinked furiously to try and quell them. She didn’t quite know why she was crying. Of course she was happy for David and Patrick. She was absolutely sure that David was going to say yes, and that he and Patrick would have a super disgustingly long and happy life together. But there was something else too._ _ _ _ _ _

______Out of all the people that Patrick could have asked, he was asking _her _. David had two parents and a sister that loved him. They would have happily given Patrick a blessing. But he was asking _her _. Stevie. The girl who sat behind the front desk at the motel. The person that everyone always looked over and passed by. Patrick was asking for her permission on the biggest decision he was ever going to make. It made her feel things that she wasn’t entirely used to feeling. Proud? Important? Needed? _Wanted? _________ _ _ _ _

____________She cleared her throat and shook her head a little bit, not quite wanting to show Patrick just how much emotion she was really feeling. She still had a reputation to uphold._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Which was why instead of just being nice and saying yes, she said, “So, what’s in it for me if I say yes?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Fortunately, Patrick had a good sense of humor. He laughed, and Stevie could see some of the tension leave his shoulders._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I’ll give you a case of wine from the store, and I’ll make sure that David doesn’t force you into another so called 90’s Queens Movie Marathon.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Stevie couldn’t help but laugh at the memory of that night; David had corralled her and Patrick into said movie marathon, not letting either of them talk the entire time in case they missed something. _“The true art of Julia Stiles’ performance is in the nuances of her voice!” he had fussed.”If you talk you’re gonna miss it!” _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Not good enough,” she said to Patrick, a smile still playing on her lips to let him know that she was just teasing him. “I’m gonna need more than that.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Patrick nodded, putting both of his hands on his hips and looking off to the side a little before answering._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“How ‘bout this?” he said finally. “I promise not to take him away. I promise not to take your best friend.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________His words hit Stevie like a ton of bricks. She put her hand over her mouth to hide the smile that was threatening to spill out._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Yeah?” she asked, quietly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Patrick nodded. He took a few steps closer to her and moved to sit down next to her on the step._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I know how important you are to each other,” he said, his voice more serious now than the teasing tone it had taken before. “I know he’s your best friend and that you’re his. I know what you did for him after the barbeque. And if you did all that back then, my _God _, Stevie. . .I can’t imagine what all you must have done for him, for _all _of them, when they first got here. I owe you.”_____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Stevie swallowed. She had never thought about it like that before. As if somehow _she _was the reason that the Roses were getting better, being better. That was way too much responsibility for someone moral and upstanding like Patrick to place on her shoulders.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Well,” she said quietly, her voice thick from emotion, “fortunately for you, I am a very generous person.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Patrick laughed at that, harder than she thought was maybe appropriate._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“What?” she asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________He shook his head fondly. “It’s nothing. It’s just. . .You and David, you’re a lot more alike than I think either of you would ever be willing to admit.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Stevie just rolled her eyes at that, allowing them to lapse into silence for a moment before Patrick knocked his knee against hers._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“So. . . ” he said slowly, “do I have your blessing then?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Stevie looked over at him and smiled, actually, really smiled at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Of course,” she said softly, “but if you do _anything _stupid to try and hurt him? I will help him bury your body in the woods without a single regret.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Patrick nodded, his face serious but his eyes glinting with their signature brand of teasing mischief._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“That sounds fair,” he said, his smile threatening to break through._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Stevie bit back her own. “Just as long as we’re clear.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Crystal.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________They sat in silence for a few more moments, each lost in their own thoughts. For a moment Stevie thought about the abstract piece of art that was the Roses. She pictured her and Patrick standing in front of it. She thought about the changes that she had come to see in it over time. How the four dots in the center had moved closer together, how the colors seemed softer and brighter. There were two lightly colored dots next to two of the darker squares, and any outsider could see how much brighter the original squares looked next to them. For a moment the small dot of color next to David’s square seemed tinted slightly blue._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________She had wondered if Patrick would be able to see those changes, if he would appreciate them as much as he should. Now she knew. She was certain that Patrick could see. That he could see just how far David had come. Not just since coming to Schitt’s Creek,but since he and Patrickgotten together. David’s color had brightened, his edges had softened. Patrick was good for him, and David for Patrick._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Stevie smiled. Her best friend was getting married to the love of his life. David Rose. Who would have thought?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Suddenly, a noise behind them made both Stevie and Patrick turn. Twyla was standing in the doorway._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“Sorry to bother you,” she said, “but Mrs. Rose said that if you don’t come back inside soon she’s going to tie you up like a sexually embittered housewife’s husband.’”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Stevie turned to Patrick as Twyla ran back inside._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“You sure you want to marry into that?” she teased,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________But Patrick just smiled fondly. “Easiest decision of my life.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. “...But I will yell at him later”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A continuing and eternal thanks to Gwen who makes everything I write infinitely better

She walked up and smacked Patrick hard on the arm. 

“Oh my god, what the--Stevie?” 

Stevie smirked at the look of surprise on his face. She had crept up behind him during warmups when Mrs. Rose was distracted by one of the kit-kat girls costumes. After her talk with David she thought it would be smart to make good on her promise. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” she whispered to him, nudging him to the side so that she could stand next to him in the circle. 

“Tell you what?” he asked, still looking slightly confused. 

Stevie rolled her eyes. “About the proposal, dumbass.” 

Patrick raised an eyebrow at her. “Um, pretty sure I did. Few weeks ago? You cried?” 

She smacked him again. 

“Ow! Stop it!” Patrick exclaimed, drawing a confused look from some of the other members of the cast which Stevie ignored. 

“Okay, first of all, I did not _cry. _Only David cries at sappy things like romance; you know that.” Patrick rolled his eyes and made a face like he wanted to interrupt, but Stevie just plowed on. “And second, I _meant _why didn’t you tell me you were doing it yesterday?”____

____Realization dawned on Patrick’s face, “oh” he said softly, even though they were both still whispering to avoid the wrath of a pre-show Mrs. Rose, “I uh, I wasn’t thinking about. . .Stevie, I’m so sorry.”_ _ _ _

____It was Stevie’s turn to look confused. She didn’t quite get what Patrick was apologizing for; certainly not for making her drive all the way to Elmdale. She hadn’t told him about the towels--that was something just for her and David._ _ _ _

____“What are you talking about?” she asked._ _ _ _

____“I thought--David thought that maybe. . .you were upset, but I thought, ya know, cuz we talked? But then I didn't think about it being opening night tonight and…”_ _ _ _

____“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Patrick hold up--” Stevie held up her hand, interrupting him, as the pieces started to fall into place._ _ _ _

____She looked around. Joceyln was gently trying to pry Mrs. Rose away from a terrified looking Kit-Kat girl as Mrs. Rose was quite literally tearing apart her costume. For a second, Stevie thought about intervening, but then she glanced back at Patrick who had such a soft, earnest look on his face that it kind of made her want to barf and she decided that was the more pressing issue at the moment. If Jocelyn needed help she could go get Mr. Rose. Although Joceyln was resourceful- she'd once distracted Moira from commenting on dance warm ups by asking her about the finite details of Sunrise Bay's kangaroo President storyline._ _ _ _

____“Come on,” she said, and none-too-gracefully tugged on Patrick’s arm, leading him away from the group and back into the dressing room._ _ _ _

____When she let go of his arm she turned to face him fully, giving him a not- so-subtle once over while she did. She had seen him in his costume before and had made fun of him then, but tonight was different, all laced up in the garters and the dark eyeliner she couldn’t help but crack a smile at his expense. To his credit, Patrick did his best not to shift too uncomfortably under her gaze, although even under the low lights and white makeup she could see his cheeks had tinged pink._ _ _ _

____“Did you have something you wanted to say or…?”_ _ _ _

____Stevie nodded, “Right. Yes. I’m not upset that you’re getting married. Really. I don’t know why everyone seems to think that I am”_ _ _ _

____Patrick just shrugged, “well David told you this morning and then you just kinda disappeared so sue us for putting two and two together.”_ _ _ _

____Stevie just rolled her eyes again, “I didn’t _disappear _, I had to drive to Elmdale. I ordered this engagement present for you and David after you told me you were gonna propose, so I had to go get it, and it’s not like Elmdale is right around the corner.”___ _ _ _

______It was true; she’d spent all day getting the stupid towels. Typical of David, making her day even more difficult over something as simple as towels. If she had also maybe needed the time alone to process some things and decompress? Well, that was her business, wasn’t it?_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Okay,” Patrick said slowly, “but you could have given the present to him tomorrow? Or even the next day. You didn’t have to do it today.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Stevie cursed internally. She had forgotten that despite being a moron when it came to David, Patrick wasn’t, in fact, a complete idiot._ _ _ _ _ _

______She weighed her options. She could tell him. Tell him how she was feeling, how it felt like she was being left behind while everyone lived their lives around her. She could tell him that it felt like she was suffocating slowly, that the life around her was becoming duller with every passing day. If the Roses were some kind of vibrant work of abstract art, her life was becoming more and more like the faded motel art that hung in the lobby behind her desk. Browning, peeling at the edges, and so unnoticed that you could walk past it a hundred times and still have no memory of what exactly it was._ _ _ _ _ _

______She could tell him about her Aunt Maureen. How Stevie had thought about her all day, and how she had cried in her car in the parking lot of Elmdale Embroidery, where no one in Schitt’s Creek would see. She could tell him that, for a second, she really had thought about blowing past the Elmdale exit and keep on driving. She could tell him all of that._ _ _ _ _ _

______But she didn’t._ _ _ _ _ _

______Because if there was one thing that Stevie was absolutely sure of, it was that motel art didn’t make it into galleries. People like Patrick and David and the rest of the Roses--they _did _. Their lives were full of color and love. All consuming, unconditional love. People like Stevie had to work for their love, they had to earn it through trial and error, often times with disastrous consequences. And as a result, the murals of their lives were messy and unsophisticated. Gallerists like David had been would have sneered at the art of her life and made comments about how it wasn’t even fit for a bathroom stall.___ _ _ _ _ _

________So instead of telling Patrick all of that she just smiled. And lied. Lied right through her teeth. Convincingly, too; years of practice served her well. Because that was another thing that Stevie was absolutely sure of: when in doubt, lie your way out._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You wanted me to delay giving David a gift?” she asked, forcing her teasing smile to reach all the way up to her eyes, “and then tell him that I could have given it to him days ago but that I just didn’t feel like it?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Patrick bought it. He rolled his eyes and laughed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yeah, fair enough,” he said with a small chuckle._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________They heard a small shriek from the room behind them and Patrick turned to look. Stevie couldn’t see, but she knew from the decibel of the screech that it was Mrs. Rose. She wasn’t quite screaming yet, but she was probably about to get there soon. Stevie wagered they had another 5, 10 minutes tops before she noticed they had gone. Patrick must have figured the same because he turned back to her, teasing smile playing on his lips._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You know,” Patrick said, moving to lean against the makeup counter, “the last time we were alone like this you cried and got all emotional. Should I be worried that you’re suddenly about to burst into tears on me?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Stevie opened her mouth to protest that _no, she wasn’t going to cry and that she hadn’t then either but Patrick cut her off.__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’m glad that you’re okay,” he said sincerely, “about us getting married.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I am.” She meant it. She was so happy for them. It was absolutely everything that both of them deserved. Happiness, love, all of the gushy stuff from David’s romcoms. He had been through some rough times, and Stevie was glad that he was finally “out of the quicksand of his past” as Mrs. Rose had so eloquently put it once. David deserved to feel all the love around him. In the earlier days of their friendship he had told her over and over again about all of his failed attempts at relationships. With partners, with friends, with Alexis, with his parents. And now he had all of those things. Love with Patrick, a friend in her, respect and understanding from his parents, and whatever it was you wanted to call his relationship with Alexis._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He deserved it all and more, not that she would ever tell him that. That kind of emotional honestly made her feel itchy and sick, and the same was true for David. It’s why they were friends. That, and a lack of other suitable options._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I just hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into,” Stevie said to Patrick, pushing aside the darker thoughts from earlier in the day that had begun to bubble up again at the memory of David’s joke._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’m sorry?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“With David. I’m sure the actual marriage part of this whole arrangement is going to be fine. Well, I say _fine _, but it’s David so you know, you’ll probably end up doing basically all the chores around the house.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You say that like that’s not already the situation at the store.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Stevie laughed; she knew that was true. Whenever Patrick would try to get him to do even the simplest chore at the store he would just whine like a child, his body going all limp and his eyes doing that squinty thing, and then Patrick, because he was a love struck _moron _would just laugh and do the chore for him anyway. It was disgusting.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“You’re right. But what I was talking about was the actual wedding.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Patrick tilted his head to the side, brows furrowed in confusion._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Yeah, that’s usually what happens when two people get married. There’s a wedding”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Stevie gave him her best shit eating grin. “Oh I’m aware. It’s just that when _most _people get married, they don’t have to involve Moira, Alexis and David Rose in the planning process.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________That stupid little grin on Patrick’s face fell away instantly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Oh,” was all he could manage._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Stevie laughed openly at him. _This _, she thought, _was going to be good.____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“And,” she added, “you’ll have a bachelor party planned by yours truly and your future sister-in-law.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Patrick put his face in his hands and muttered what Stevie thought might have been an oh god._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________She was just about to bring up the idea of Roland giving a toast at the reception when she noticed that Twyla was standing in the doorway. It gave Stevie an odd flash of deja-vu._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Hey, so sorry,” she said, “but Mrs. Rose is wondering where you are and she just ripped apart some very expensive-looking cables so it’s probably best if you get back in soon.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Stevie winced and turned to Patrick who, despite it all, was laughing. Maybe the Roses wouldn’t be that hard of an adjustment for him after all._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Thanks, Twyla,” he said, “we’ll be back in a sec.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________She nodded at him and hurried back into the room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Patrick sighed and pushed himself into a standing position. “You ready?” he asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Stevie nodded, and made to move into the room but stopped when she noticed that Patrick hadn’t moved yet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“What?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________He took a deep breath, and looked around the room for a moment. Stevie’s sense of deja vu grew stronger._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“I know you said that you were okay,” he said, “but just, you know, on the off chance that you were lying. . .”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Shit._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Stevie really did not want to have this conversation right now. She cursed Patrick for being not an idiot. She braced herself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“I made you a promise,” was all that he said, after what felt like an eternity, “and I don’t plan on breaking it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________He paused, before adding,“I also said that I owe you, and I do. I don’t plan on forgetting that either. You’re the reason we’re gonna get married, Stevie. Without you, David, Alexis, Mr. and Mrs. Rose, none of them would be the people that they are today. David wouldn’t be the man I love. So. . .thank you. ”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Stevie just blinked at him. For once in her life, she had no words. No sarcastic remark, no biting comeback. She was at a complete loss for what to say._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Stupid Patrick. He was gonna make her cry in front of him after all._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“We should go back in there,” was all that she could manage, trying her best to keep her voice even._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Patrick nodded, and she thought he might have even been biting down a little bit of a smile. The moron. He would enjoy her getting all emotional. She was just about to say something, anything. Maybe even something honest and true when a voice interrupted them from the doorway._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Oh my god!” Alexis exclaimed. “If you guys don’t hurry up my mom’s gonna rip her wig hairs out.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Stevie and Patrick both openly laughed at the image of a half bald Moira Rose_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Patrick made me late; I was yelling at him for it,” Stevie said by way of an explanation._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Patrick huffed out a laugh. “The last time a girl said that to me she had to go buy a pregnancy test.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Stevie rolled her eyes, “Patrick, you have to actually _finish _when you have sex with a girl to get her pregnant."___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Patrick opened his mouth as if to protest (what exactly, Stevie wasn’t sure ), but was cut off by a loud “eww” from Alexis who flounced back into the room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Chuckling, Patrick tilted his head towards her. “Ready?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Stevie sighed. “As I’ll ever be.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________It was just a show. All she had to do was sing in front of people and then face them everyday for the rest of her life afterward. What could possibly go wrong?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a deer btw, the painting behind the front desk. 
> 
> Come say hi to me on Tumblr: oscarwildewannabe


	3. “Excuse me, you’re an almost married man now”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much to Iole and Beck for betaing/cheerleading me through this chapter. Sorry it took for freaking ever, life happened and then writers block happened before this happened. It's not Great, but hey it's done lol. I hope you like it anyway!

There were contingency plans on top of contingency plans. What if the food didn’t arrive? Order backup from the cafe. What if the flowers were the wrong color? Just go without, who needs them anyway? What if the rings got lost? Use one of David’s old ones or share the new gold ones. 

They had planned for it all. Hell, they even had a plan for if the motel where to just suddenly burst into flames. But this, Stevie had not planned for. 

Everything had been working perfectly up to this point, no contingency plans needed. David was more or less ready to go; when she had left him he had been fighting with Alexis to pass the time while Mrs. Rose sobbed dramatically into a lace handkerchief about her “first born’s rapidly approaching nuptials”. Mr. Rose had just rubbed soothing circles on her back while trying to keep Alexis and David from spiraling too far into a real fight. It was at that point that Stevie suggested that she go check on Patrick. She loved the Roses, she really did (not that she would have admitted it to anyone out loud), but sometimes all the theatrics and drama that they could create made small spaces like the motel room seem even smaller; Stevie just needed some air. 

The week leading up to the wedding had been chaotic to say the least with all of the last minute plans that were just now coming together. As David’s Best Person, she had spent most of the week talking him off of the various ledges that he had a penchant for climbing up on to. The first few times it was fine, she understood, even empathize a bit. Getting married was a big, scary thing. So Stevie had played the role of Best Friend and talked him through it as she lit up a joint for them to share. But by the ninth breakdown she became a little less sympathetic, and far less likely to share her weed. 

It also didn’t help that in between having panic attacks about whether or not he would be a good husband, David and Patrick had spent all their time making faces at each other from across the room, only to not so subtly slip out of said room and return ten minutes later or so with slightly rumpled hair and clothes and each wearing huge grins. It was disgusting. 

So when Stevie knocked on Patrick’s door to ask how much longer he needed, she was expecting him to just swing open the door and all but burst into song about how excited he was to get married. The sight that actually met her, however, was not only unexpected, it was unprecedented, and a little unnerving. 

Patrick did in fact swing open the door but he was nowhere near bursting into song. His suit was only half on; his tie was hanging loose around his neck and there was a pile of black fabric on the bed that might be his jacket. His hair was pushed up on either side of his head like he’d been running his hands through it, the floor was littered with different articles of clothing and random trash and there was a kind of crazed look in his eyes that makes Stevie take a full step backwards. 

“Whoa” is all she said as Patrick walked back into the room, leaving the door ajar behind him for Stevie to follow him in.

“I know, I know.” he muttered, more to himself than to her, as he perched himself on the edge of the bed, leaning his elbows on his knees and burying his head in his hands. 

“You look great.” Stevie deadpaned, because honestly what the fuck is she supposed to do here?

Her joke, at least, earned a huff of laughter from him, but it quickly turned into a groan as he rubbed his hands up his face and through his hair, causing the front to stick up at an even funnier angle. 

Patrick began bouncing his leg in an anxious sort of rhythm as he turned to her, his face completely white. 

“What the fuck am I doing?” 

What the fuck was he doing indeed.

This was completely out of character for Patrick, or at least the Patrick she knew. The man she knew was calm and collected; sure he could be competitive and a little huffy sometimes, but hey no one was perfect- she certainly wasn’t in a position to judge others for their faults. But this person, hunched over on the ratty motel bed in front of her, was not the same man. He looked scared and small. It made Stevie’s insides twist in fear. 

“Well,” she said slowly, picking her way across the floor to him, “you’re getting ready to get married to my best friend in about 10 minutes. You remember? David. The guy I said I would help dump your body in a ravine if you did anything to hurt him?” 

She possessed it as a joke, but she set her arms on her hips and fixed Patrick with a glare that she knew gave off the “spooky” vibes that Mrs. Rose was always talking about, vibes that she hoped would convey just how serious her threat really was. 

Patrick just sighed, putting his face in his hands again, as if by not looking at her or the room around him, the problem will just suddenly go away. Stevie could respect that tactic, had used it herself many a time, but given Patrick’s track record with simply ignoring problems till they show up at her motel one day she doesn’t think it’s wise here. 

“You should do it,” he says eventually, his voice coming out muffled from behind his hands, “it’s what I deserve.” 

Ah. So that’s what this is about. 

Heaving a sigh herself, Stevie sits down on the bed next to Patrick. 

“You’re right.” she says, not changing the cadence of her voice from before, “in fact, it might even be going easy on you to just dump your body and leave you to be found by hikers. If it were up to me, I’d let everyone of the Rose members take a stab at you and then Roland and I could put your body in the bed of his truck and light it on fire.” 

Patrick peers up at her through his hands. 

“Stevie that’s really dark,'' he pauses, “you’ve given this some thought.” 

She shrugs, “I have a lot of crappy exes.” 

Patrick’s brows did that little concerned furrow when she says that but she plows on, not wanting to detract from the matter at hand. 

“But we don’t have to start laying out the tarps just yet. You’ve still got about seven minutes to remember that you and David love each other and that you want to marry him and all of that gushy, romantic crap I’ve been listening to him spout for the last three years.” 

“I just don’t know if I can do this,” he says, his voice thick with emotion now, “I don’t know what I’m doing.” 

“You think he does?” Stevie asked incredulously, gesturing vaguely towards the door, “David doesn’t know what he’s doing either. Patrick, _none of us _know what we’re doing. But we have to just keep moving forward, we have to keep going,”__

__She paused before adding, “And hey, you’re one of the lucky ones. You’ve got all these people around you who actually give a damn about you. You’ve got David and your parents, and ya know, me. So you’re not exactly doing this alone. In fact, that’s kinda the whole point of this thing we’re gearing up to do here?”_ _

__Patrick nodded, “I know, it’s just…” he faltered, looking down at his hands as he spoke, “I’m just afraid that it won’t be enough. That _I_ won’t be enough. That one day, he’s just gonna wake up and realize that he wants more than this.” __

____“Well that’s just stupid,” she said quietly, but even she didn’t believe it._ _ _ _

____Because if she was being honest, she felt the same way. She lived in constant fear that the Roses would get their money back, that Mr. Rose would realize he had made a mistake going into business with her, that David would decide he really was better than this town, than her. It was silly to think that something like that could happen, especially now, but it still kept her up at night sometimes._ _ _ _

____She had once thought that the Roses were like an abstract work of art; pretentious and confusing. But now things were different. The colors were not as harsh, the dramatic lines that had once stood so far apart were now squeezed in next to each other. New colors had been added, reds and greens, and about a thousand shades of blue. The painting was still abstract, still confusing and loud and messy at times, but it was beautiful, and you could see images and pictures in it that you wouldn’t have seen five years ago. Stevie could understand why David might have liked working in galleries if he got to look at art like that all day._ _ _ _

____But then, in the darker moments when she would lie awake at night, staring at the ceiling, she would remember that this painting, no matter how much it meant to her, didn’t belong to her. It didn’t belong to anyone, and just like all of the paintings that had hung in David’s galleries, all it would take was one decision for someone to come in and take it all away from her. No more bright colors, no more drastic lines, no more half- hearted hugs and good natured advice. She would be left with nothing except her peeling motel art and an eternally empty seat beside her at the cafe._ _ _ _

____She looked back at Patrick. She could understand it, why he was so afraid, and why he had picked now of all the time to show it. He had more riding on this than she did. David was the love of his life, they had both told her so on multiple occasions (she had responded appropriately by pretending to barf), she couldn’t imagine having to lose something like that._ _ _ _

____“Do you remember what I told you after the barbecue?” she asked suddenly_ _ _ _

____Patrick looked up at her, confused by her sudden change of pace._ _ _ _

____“When your ex showed up,” she qualified, turning to face him more fully, “do you remember what I said?”_ _ _ _

____Patrick straightened up, still looking confused, “You told me not to give up”_ _ _ _

____Stevie nodded, giving him a look to tell him to keep going._ _ _ _

____“You came over to Rays,” Patrick said slowly, “you chewed me out pretty good for lying to David. You told me if I did again you’d have me murdered…”_ _ _ _

____“It’s a small town, I could get away with it too,” she said, cracking a small smile._ _ _ _

____Patrick nodded, a soft smile playing on his own lips, “And then you drank whisky with me and told me not to give up. That if I wanted to be with David I was going to have to prove it, I was going to have to fight for him...”_ _ _ _

____“And you did.” Stevie finished for him, “You still do.”_ _ _ _

____“I don’t understand what that…”_ _ _ _

____“You thought you had lost him” Stevie interrupted, “you thought you had totally screwed it up with him. And granted, you did for a second there, but not for forever. ‘Cause you fought for him. And it led you here. To your wedding day. Patrick, _you’re getting married _, you didn’t just fight for him, _you won _. This is it.”_____ _ _ _

________She sighed, looking at the features on Patrick’s face softened slightly as she added, “You gave him a life here. A life worth staying for. He’s not going to leave you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Somewhere in the back of her mind, Stevie could hear David’s voice. A memory from what seemed like a lifetime ago._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________What if you came with me to New York._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

__________She hadn’t been enough for him to stay, in fact, she had been the thing that pushed him away. Stevie shook her head slightly, trying to clear the memory from her mind with the motion like some kind of humanoid Etch and Sketch_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“He loves you and you love him,” she said firmly, standing up now to make her point, “you’re going to put yourself together right now, you’re going to go out there, get married and live a long and disgustingly happy life together.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Patrick gave her a small smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Stevie you say all that but--”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No, no buts” she interrupted, “I’m not, like, giving you my opinion here. I’m stating a fact. And I know you’re scared but everything is scary in one way or another. Yeah, maybe he’ll get his money back, maybe he won’t. Maybe the store goes under, maybe you get cancer or get hit by a bus tomorrow, anything could happen. But you’ve got each other. You love each other, there’s no breaking that, there’s no...erasing that. It’s not like David’s just gonna steal a truck and run away or something...again”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Patrick looked up at her, “Stevie…” he began but she cut him off before he had a chance._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Don’t.” She breathed out, embarrassed at how her voice wavered a little bit at the end._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Patrick stood up, and walked over to her, but Stevie took a step back before he could get too close._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’m sorry”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Stevie looked up at him, surprised, shouldn’t she really be the one apologizing here?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“For what?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“For whatever happened that made you and David like this,” Stevie raised an eyebrow at him confrontationally, so Patrick rushed on to finish, “I’m sorry for whatever made the two of you think that you don’t deserve to be loved. Or that you have to question love when you have it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Stevie swallowed down the lump forming in her throat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said weakly_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Patrick hummed, that little _I’m totally not laughing at you except I definitely am _laugh that he used on David all the time.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“You know that they love you just as much right?” he said softly_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She didn’t._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Stevie, you’re David’s best friend. His first best friend ever, he tells you everything. You're the only person in this town who’s opinion he cares about. And Alexis adores you. Look at how she defended you to Mrs. Rose during Cabaret rehearsals, she’d do anything for you. They all would. I’m genuinely surprised that Mrs. Rose hasn’t already tried to have your name legally changed.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Stevie let out a small huff. She could feel the heat building behind her eyes and a lump burning in her throat. She coughed and blinked back tears._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Well,” she said, her voice shaky, “if that’s true than you and I really are stuck with each other. Because if they love me than I don’t know what it is they feel about you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Patrick smiled at her, a real smile this time, “Oh yeah?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Stevie nodded, “Alexis has you saved in her phone as “Better Brother”. And I heard Mr. Rose in the lobby last week talking about going to his _son’s _baseball game to some guests, Mrs. Rose didn’t correct him either. She just said something about how nice it was to have a “true olympian” in the family.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________She laughed, and then Patrick was laughing too. It was nice, it felt nice. And for a moment Stevie forgot what it was that she had been so scared of. It felt good to laugh so openly and freely, she seemed to be doing that more and more these days._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“We’re really stuck with each other then huh?” Patrick said_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Stevie sighed, “I’m afraid so Brewer. You’re just gonna have to get used to it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Patrick smiled at her over his shoulder as he walked towards the mirror._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I can think of worse people to spend the rest of my life with.” he said as he smoothed down his hair._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Stevie raised an eyebrow, “Pretty sure I’m not the one you’re supposed to be saying that to right now.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Patrick shrugged as he tied his tie, making eye contact with her through the mirror._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I knew you and David were a package deal when I proposed.” he said, walking over to her and grabbing his jacket off of the bed, “Didn’t change my mind on wanting to get married.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Stevie fixed him with a look, “So that is what we’re doing today then? I don’t have to go find a shovel?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Patrick looked down at his feet. At least he had the sense to look a little ashamed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“No.” he said, “you don’t. I’m sorry if I freaked you out there for a second.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Stevie just shook her head and smiled, “Nah, I knew you’d come around. Besides, you can’t let David have all of the dramatics to himself.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Patrick laughed, “Speaking of David, how’s he doing?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Well I left him alone with his parents and his sister so he’s probably getting ready to climb out the bathroom window any second now.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Patrick rolled his eyes, “shall we?” he asked, gesturing towards the door_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“You don’t think it’s some sort of omen for your marriage to see him before the ceremony?” Stevie teased_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I think we’ve more or less been cursed from the start. I mean, my future husband didn’t know our first date was actually a date until you told him.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Stevie laughed, “Yeah you’re welcome for that by the way.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Patrick smiled, and Stevie reached up to straighten his tie. When she pulled her hand away he caught it in his._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Thank you Stevie.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________His eyes were filled with sincerity and he squeezed her hand in his. Stevie let herself smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Come on,” she said fondly, “let’s go save your future husband from your future in-laws”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________As she turned away she saw Patrick’s face slip into a goofy smile at her words._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“You’re disgusting.” she called over her shoulder as she headed out the door._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Patrick’s laugh echoed behind her as they made their way down to the room where the Roses were waiting. For a brief moment Stevie thought about the abstract painting of their lives again. She thought for a moment, maybe if you squint really hard, you might see the faint outline of herself there. She wasn’t sure though, it might just be that her vision was clouded by the tears she was blinking back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________She did know one thing for certain however; if the government was gonna show up at her house one day and try to take away the painting that she had grown to love so dearly, than there was going to be at least one other person at her side waiting to help fight them off._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi to me on Tumblr: oscarwildewannabe

**Author's Note:**

> Next two parts should be coming soon- but if not come yell at me in my inbox on Tumblr: oscarwildewannabe


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